Can holder and perforator



Jain. 14, 1941. v SCALPH 2,228,536

CAN HOLDER AND PERFORATOR Filed Nov. 15, 1938 iillill Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES CAN HOLDER PERFORATOR Orvin V. Scalph, Spokane,`Wash., assignor of twenty-four per cent to Spokane, Wash.

E. Winston Hufford,

Application November 15, 1938, Serial No. 240,587

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a can holder and perforator and it is one object of the invention to provide a device of this character which may serve as a holder for a can of evaporated milk or the like and also constitute means for perforating the head of the can so that the liquid contents thereof may be poured from the can.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can holder of such construction that it includes a handle by means of which it may be lifted and the liquid poured from the can.

Another object of the invention is to provide perforating means having a lever` so associated with it that the lever may be employed in one position of adjustment toI easily force prongs through the head of the can and in another position of adjustment as a finger-engaging member by means of which an arm carrying the prongs may be swung upwardly to shift the prongs out of the openings and allow the liquid to be poured from the can.

Another object of the invention is to so mount the arm carrying the prongs that it may be swung rearwardly to a position back of the holder where it will be out of the way and permit a can to be very easily inserted or removed from the holder.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved can holder and perforator.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the holder in vertical section and a can therein in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the perforating o means and the upper portion of a can, the view being taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of holder and perforator.

This improved can and holder and perforator has a can-receiving cup or housing I which has a solid bottom 2 and an upstanding peripheral wall 3, the cup being of such diameter that it will t about a can 4 of conventional type in which evaporated milk or other free owing liquids are usually sold. The forward portion 5 of the wall 3 is extended upwardly to form a front extension which tapers upwardly and terminates in an outwardly projecting lip 6 serving to catch any milk which may flow down the front of the can after a pouring operation and direct it into the lower portion of the cup. It will thus be seen that milk will be prevented from running down the front of the holder and dripping upon a table cloth upon which the can holder may be set after being used.

The rear portion of the marginal wall of the cup is also extended upwardly to form a shank I carrying a handle 8 which may be formed by cutting a tongue from this shank and then bending it outwardly and downwardly to form they handle which has its lower end free and spaced rearwardly from the cup so that it may be easily grasped when lifting the holder and a can and pouring milk from the can. Instead of cutting a tongue and bending it to form the handle, the handle may be formed from a separate strip of metal and soldered or otherwise secured to the shank 'I at the upper end of the slot 9.

An arm I0, which is toextend diametrically across the head of the can, is hinged at its rear end to the upper end of the .shank l, as shown at II, and in spaced relation to its free front end it is provided with ears I2 located at its opposite side edges and carrying a pivot pin I3 which passes through a sleeve I4 at one end of a lever I5 and mounts the lever for swinging movement longitudinally of the arm ID. The lever is of such length that when it is swung forwardly to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, it will project from the front end of the arm and by applying pressure to its free end, the arm may be forced downwardly and the prongs I6 and I'I forced through the head of the can to form a pouring opening I8 and an air inlet opening I9. The increased leverage afforded by the forwardly projecting lever permits the prongs to be very easily forced through the head of the can and the fact that the free end of the lever is formed with a rounded head 20 bordered by a lip 2|, permits pressure to be easily applied without danger of bruising a thumb or other portion of a hand applied thereto during the punching operation. When the lever l5 is swung rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. l, it projects beyond the rear end of the arm Ii) and outwardly from the standard with its free end overhanging the handle so that its rounded end may be engaged by the thumb of the hand grasping the handle and pressure applied to swing the arm upwardly to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The prongs will thus be shifted upwardly out of the perforations formed in the head of the can and upon tilting the holder and the can to a pouring position, air will enter through the opening I9 and liquid flow out through the opening I8. By swinging both the arm I0 and the lever I5 to a position back of the handle, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, they will be out of the way and an empty can may be removed and a full can set in place very easily.

Instead of forming the can holder as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, it may be formed as shown in Fig. 4. In this embodiment of the invention, the device is intended to hold a short can instead of a tall can. The cup 22 of this holder is provided with a base 23 to support it in an elevated position. This cup is similar in shape to that illustrated in Fig. l, except that its shank 24 is shorter than the shank 9 and the handle 25 projects downwardly below the cup. A lip 26 corresponding to the lip 6 is provided at the front of the cup and to the upper end of the shank 24 is hinged an arm 21 carrying a lever 28 corresponding to the lever I and mounted for swinging movement longitudinally of the arm from the position shown, in which its free end projects rearwardly from the holder, to a position in which it will project forwardly from the arm and may be pressed upon to force prongs carried by the arm through the head of the can 29. The base 23 not only adds to the appearance of this holder but is necessary in order to permit use of a handle of sufficient length to be easily grasped.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A can holder and perforator comprising a canholding cup having an annular wall, the rear portion of the wall being extended upwardly to form a shank, the shank and the rear portion of the annular wall being cut to form a vertically extending tongue free at its lower end and bent outwardly to form a handle having its upper end integrally united to the shank in spaced relation to the upper end thereof, an arm pivoted at its rear end to the upper end of said shank and being of a length adapting it to extend forwardly across the top of a can diametrically thereof, spurs extending from the under face of said arm in spaced relation to each other longitudinally thereof for penetrating the top of a can when the arm is forced downwardly, ears extending upwardly from opposite side edges of said arm intermediate the length thereof and located closer to the front end of the arm than to the rear end thereof, and a lever pivoted at one end between said ears, said lever being of a length adapting it to be swung upwardly and rearwardly from a position resting on the arm in front of the ears and projecting forwardly from the arm to a position resting upon the arm back of the ears with its free end protruding from the pivoted rear end of the arm over the handle.

ORVIN V. SCALPH. 

